Review of Ford v Ferrari (2019) by Luminaxster — 15 Nov 2019

My real rating is 8.5 as a film in general, still a solid 10/10 as a racing film. I watched it on IMAX (laser), the engine sounds and screeching felt so good, the cornering was exhilarating, the shifting and throttling finally make sense in a racing film, and the music was there pumping hard, my wife was even humming it on the way back to the car. All these alone pay the ticket if you love driving, furthermore, you know you experienced a great racing adventure if after the film you go back to your car and hear your car engine with more affinity, feel the cornering more natural and have the sensation your Prius is really slow, but suddenly you realize that you are going 85 thinking is 55.

Why 8.5 as a film in general? The cinematography was lacking, there was no worldbuilding whatsoever: shots around houses, labs, testing/racing tracks, and even cities were missing or only stills, and way too many short cuts to deliver an event such as pass or tight corner. Story-wise, it is based on real events, so saying the plot is obvious, it is a dumb thing to say. The acting is top-notch: Bale always creates a character that makes you forget about him in a snap, with incredible powerful deliveries left and right; Damon is always Damon, likable AF, he is like Tom Hanks at this point, you are just happy to see him on screen doing his thing; The Punisher is great too, he came and punched his way through. That being written, Ken's wife and child are "the" rockstars (I won't pretend I remember their names), every scene that was around them was really powerful, it shows that Mangold strives on getting the best of the best, and this pair has a bright future ahead.